at the earliest

idiom

used to indicate the earliest possible time when something will happen or be done
The job will not be finished until next year at the (very) earliest.

Examples of at the earliest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Most economists envision no rate cuts before fall at the earliest. Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 3 May 2024 The Arizona Supreme Court’s April 9 ruling, which found that the state had to adhere to the century-old law, was not going to be enforceable until June 27 at the earliest, according to Arizona’s Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024 But legal sales aren't expected to begin until June at the earliest. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 19 Apr. 2024 The petitions are not expected to be publicly accessible until Monday at the earliest, but the guild notified CVS of the stores’ intentions in a letter sent to the company this week. USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024 But that car won’t start production until 2026 at the earliest, making this year and next crucial if the company hopes to live long enough to see it. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024 Crucially, Hamas has not yet signed onto this possible framework and any possible final deal is still, at the earliest, days away as negotiators continue to hammer out the actual details. Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 As The Verge reports, Humane now says the $699 device will head to customers in mid-April at the earliest. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 And shortly thereafter, NASA said that two of its flights would be delayed until September 2025 and September 2026 at the earliest. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at the earliest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near at the earliest

Cite this Entry

“At the earliest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20earliest. Accessed 9 May. 2024.

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